Dinokeng Game Reserve, Protected area in Gauteng, South Africa.
Dinokeng Game Reserve is a wildlife reserve in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria in Gauteng, covering about 21,000 hectares. It is divided into a northern and a southern section by the Rust de Winter tar road, with sweet-veld grasses in the north and sour-veld grasses in the south. The reserve holds the Big Five and over three hundred bird species.
In 1997 Premier Tokyo Sexwale announced a plan for Big Five sanctuaries northeast of Pretoria. Formal planning with over 170 landowners began in 2000, and the reserve opened on 22 September 2011. Black rhinos were reintroduced in 2018, completing the Big Five.
The name Dinokeng comes from the languages of the Tswana and Bapedi peoples and translates as "a place of rivers". The reserve lies in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, and its tourism offer includes cultural tours alongside game drives, boat cruises and hot air ballooning.
The reserve is about 40 minutes from Pretoria and offers a range of accommodation from luxury lodges to camping sites. Visitors should book permits in advance online and be prepared for rough roads and changing conditions depending on the season.
The reserve is split by the Rust de Winter tar road: the northern part has sweet-veld grasses and draws more herbivores, and with them more predators, while the south is sour-veld. The gate in the photograph, Ndlovu Gate, has a green fascia and white cursive sign above yellow-and-white traffic islands and boom barriers.
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